Transplant Evaluation

At the Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation's Kidney Transplant Program, we discuss all aspects of kidney transplantation with patients so they are well informed and educated about all risks, alternatives and results. The education process is continuous and begins with the initial visit to the Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation for transplant evaluation. During the evaluation, patients meet the transplant surgeon, nephrologist, social worker, nutritional services staff, nurse coordinator and financial counselor for an educational session. The initial process requires several hours, and additional visits and tests are often required to complete the evaluation. The results of the evaluation are discussed at a multidisciplinary team meeting to determine if transplantation is the right option.

Waiting for a Kidney

If transplantation is chosen, patients are placed on a waiting list maintained by the national agency that governs transplantation, (UNOS). Kidney transplants are allocated by a combination of waiting time and degree of match. Pediatric patients and patients who are (have antibodies) receive higher priority.

Most kidneys come from deceased donors who have suffered brain death. Family members of the deceased donor have consented to have their , which is an extraordinary gift. After removal of the donor kidney, the kidney will be allocated to a recipient on the waiting list. Your physician and/or nephrologist can further explain how the organ matches are coordinated and distributed, but waiting time can take several years in New York, which is why we emphasize the benefits of with all our patients. Live donation can be performed between related individuals or unrelated individuals (spouses or friends, for example). Altruistic donors are live donors who agree to donate a kidney who do not have a personal emotional relationship with the recipient (a member of the same church, for example).

If transplantation is chosen, patients are placed on a waiting list maintained by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the national agency that governs transplantation. Kidney transplants are allocated by a combination of waiting time and degree of match. Pediatric patients and patients who are highly sensitized, or have antibodies, receive higher priority.

Most kidneys come from deceased donors who have suffered brain death. Family members of the deceased donor have consented to have the donor's organs removed for transplantation, which is an extraordinary gift. After removal of the donor kidney, the kidney will be allocated to a recipient on the waiting list. Your physician and/or nephrologist can further explain how the organ matches are coordinated and distributed. However, waiting time can take several years in New York, which is why we emphasize the benefits of live donation with all our patients. Live donation is performed between related individuals or unrelated individuals, such as spouses or friends. Altruistic donors are live donors who agree to donate a kidney and do not have a personal emotional relationship with the recipient, such as a member of the same church.

Once a deceased donor kidney is offered to a recipient through the waiting list, we contact the patient by phone or pager and communicate with the patient's nephrologist. We evaluate the donor kidney and in many cases perform additional tests, such as biopsy, to determine if it is suitable. A final cross-match is performed between the donor blood and the recipient's blood to ensure that there are no antibodies that would cause early rejection. If the cross-match test is negative, transplantation can move forward. Then, patients are admitted to the transplant floor for preoperative preparation before transplantation.